tidy

adjective ti·dy \ ˈtī-dē \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Examples: tidy in a Sentence

Definition of tidy

tidier; tidiest

1 a : neat and orderly in appearance or habits : well ordered and cared for

b : methodical, precise

a tidy mind

2 : large, substantial

a tidy profit

3 : adequately satisfactory : acceptable, fair

a tidy solution to their problem

4 : properly filled out : plump

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tidily

play \ˈtī-də-lē\ adverb

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tidiness

play \ˈtī-dē-nəs\ noun

See tidy defined for English-language learners

See tidy defined for kids

Examples of tidy in a Sentence

He has always been a tidy person.
She earns a tidy salary.
They paid a tidy sum for the house.

Recent Examples of tidy from the Web

That would make for an awfully tidy two seasons in Golden State: two clutch shots, two titles, two Finals MVP trophies.

— ben golliver, SI.com, "Kevin Durant's Déjà Vu Dagger Caps the Best Game of His Life," 7 June 2018
There's new time-and location-based Do Not Disturb modes; a suite of notification-management tools; and a clever lock screen feature that organizes your push alerts into tidy little topic-specific bundles.

— robbie gonzalez, WIRED, "Why Apple Can’t Tackle Digital Wellness in a Vacuum," 5 June 2018
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to marry at Windsor Castle tomorrow, and although Markle is worth quite a tidy sum herself thanks to her acting career she is set to marry into a much larger fortune.

— sam dangremond, Town & Country, "Where Does Prince Harry's Massive Wealth Come From?," 18 May 2018
Every season, farmers and other landowners earn tidy sums turning their fallow fields into fields of fire for a virtual army of sportsmen in camouflage, looking skyward for the water fowl.

— eric adler, kansascity, "True March Madness — nearly 1 million snow geese massing 90 miles north of KC | The Kansas City Star," 16 Mar. 2018
So the designer Karl Lagerfeld eschewed false underpinnings in favor of the tidy and exactingly square; trading size for structure.

— vanessa friedman, New York Times, "At Fendi and Prada, Moving Beyond the Shoulder Pad," 23 Feb. 2018
The women are in tidy skirt suits and medium-high heels.

— The Economist, "Tailor shops are a thriving pocket of enterprise in Pyongyang," 26 May 2018
The tidy three-bedroom, two-bath ranch home on a quiet suburban street in Citrus Heights is not for sale.

— tony bizjak, sacbee, "What if the suspected East Area Rapist's home went on the market? Would you buy? | The Sacramento Bee," 25 May 2018
In addition to high-tech tools, airports are also focusing on the basics to keep terminals tidy.

— harriet baskas, USA TODAY, "Germs at the airport, and the teams that fight them," 23 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tidy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tidy

Middle English, timely, in good condition, from tide time

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 4

See Words from the same year

tidy Synonyms

tidy

verb

Definition of tidy

tidied; tidying

transitive verb

: to put in order

tidy up a room

intransitive verb

: to make things tidy

tidying up after supper

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tidier

noun

See tidy defined for English-language learners

Examples of tidy in a Sentence

I tidied the house before they arrived.

Recent Examples of tidy from the Web

Cleaning stations and individuals lugging leaf-blowers assisted runners in tidying up after the race, while others chose to just add more layers of color with friends.

— marty pearl, The Courier-Journal, "A happy, colorful mess hits Waterfront Park with the Color Run 5k," 9 June 2018
Other signs include loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, gaining or losing a significant amount of weight, and giving away prized possessions or tidying up personal affairs.

— julie mazziotta, PEOPLE.com, "Kate Spade's Tragic Death: Warning Signs to Look for If You Are Concerned Someone is Suicidal," 6 June 2018
That means having a staffer stop serving customers and tidy up, perhaps several times a day.

— joyce m. rosenberg, USA TODAY, "Restrooms for customers only? In most cases, it's legal to enact such a policy," 14 May 2018
James Freeman, the founder of Blue Bottle Coffee, told us that in his house the kitchen is always cleaned and the house tidied the night before.

— refinery29.com, "The Morning Routine: How To Start Your Day Like A Boss," 15 May 2018
Eight groups are currently partnering with the department to tidy up 17.1 miles of roadway including along U.S. 441 and state roads 19, 44 and 50.

— jerry fallstrom, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Church partners with FDOT to clean U.S. 441 roadway in Mount Dora," 4 May 2018
The people who wash, tidy up and manicure the ballpark can do only so much, however.

— tom krasovic, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Spiffy, subsidized ballpark is outperforming another bad Padres club," 30 Apr. 2018
This might be a week for gently tidying up the inside of your head.

— claire comstock-gay, The Cut, "Madame Clairevoyant: Horoscopes for the Week of April 16," 16 Apr. 2018
Joanne Campbell, the tenants’ association head at the Albany Houses, which had been the site of Nixon’s visit, said workers tidied up the grounds for the occasion.

— Washington Post, "Politicians blame each other for NYC public housing crisis," 8 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of tidy

1821

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

tidy

noun

Definition of tidy

plural tidies

1 : a usually compartmentalized receptacle for various small objects

2 : a piece of fancywork used to protect the back, arms, or headrest of a chair or sofa from wear or soil

See tidy defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of tidy from the Web

The appeal of my WeWork space is fairly obvious: Someone else maintains the free coffee, waters the plants, and tidies up the sun dappled work spaces.

— aaron pressman, Fortune, "Data Sheet—Why WeWork Has to Pay Up for Rapid Growth," 25 Apr. 2018
The most popular affordable robot vacuum A good robot vacuum can help you keep your home tidy between deep cleanings, and the Eufy RoboVac 11+ is the #1 best-selling robot vacuum on Amazon right now.

— samantha gordon, USA TODAY, "These are the 5 best Amazon deals for the first day of spring," 20 Mar. 2018
The truth escapes them that within a month, their designer efforts will be covered in old pizza boxes and dirty clothes exactly like the other rooms -- until mom shows up a day early for homecoming and tidies things up a bit.

— beth thames, AL.com, "Oprah for president? She's served her country already," 10 Jan. 2018
YOUR PROPERTY TIDY Have the lawn mowed, the plants watered and the pool cleaned.

— ronda kaysen, New York Times, "How to Protect Your House When You’re on Vacation," 14 July 2017
Buy Photo Erica Tunnell’s tidy row home in the Overbrook section of the city was swarmed Saturday by environmental activists, students and public health experts.

— chris mondics, Philly.com, "Activists, community groups test for lead," 24 June 2017

First Known Use of tidy

circa 1828

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

TIDY Defined for English Language Learners

tidy

adjective

Definition of tidy for English Language Learners

: clean and organized : not messy
: keeping things clean and organized
of an amount of money : fairly large

tidy

verb

Definition of tidy for English Language Learners

: to make (something) tidy : to make (something) clean and organized

tidy

noun

Definition of tidy for English Language Learners

: a container for storing small items

TIDY Defined for Kids

tidy

adjective ti·dy \ ˈtī-dē \

Definition of tidy for Students

tidier; tidiest

1 : well ordered and cared for : neat

2 : large, substantial

a tidy sum

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tidiness

noun

History for tidy

The English word tidy comes from the word tide. Tide first meant “time,” and tidy first meant “timely, at the proper time.” Soon tidy came to mean “in good condition.” The current meaning “neat” developed from this sense.